Candela backs Roma for the title and praises Dybala and Koné

Radio commentators Piero Torri and Rossomando have offered contrasting takes on Roma's recent performance and transfer priorities. Torri, speaking on Radio Manà Manà, expressed regret over the draw against Inter despite Roma's strong display against the Serie A leaders. He believes Roma are pursuing Kvernadze of Frosinone and welcomed the fact that several players have remained at Trigoria, hoping they will be fit for the upcoming match against Como. Rossomando, also on Radio Manà Manà, disagreed with Torri's assessment of the transfer targets. "Between Kvernadze and Soulé I would keep the Argentine," Rossomando said, backing the current squad member over the external option. He was critical of Bryan Cristante's first-half performance, describing it as poor, and questioned the substitution of Manu Koné, saying he would never have removed him from the pitch.

Fabio Capello has praised Roma's start to the 2026-27 season, expressing no surprise at the club's position at the top of Serie A alongside Inter. Speaking to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Capello highlighted Roma and Inter as the two most ready squads from the campaign's outset, and singled out their direct clash as evidence of Roma's quality. He also noted a concern about Inter's defensive vulnerabilities, questioning why they have conceded so many goals and pointing to their recent defeat to Real Madrid as a warning sign. Capello identified the intensity of full-pitch pressing as a key lesson Roma must absorb from Inter's experience. He explained that when concentration lapses, top-level opponents exploit the gaps—as demonstrated in that encounter. However, Capello expressed confidence in Roma's prospects, citing the quality of Gian Piero Gasperini's squad and their collective mentality. He stressed that the players and manager have convinced each other of their ambitions since the transfer window. Capello concluded with particular admiration for the squad's commitment, noting that "some have even taken a pay cut." He summed up his assessment as follows: "I see desire and awareness." His remarks came as Serie A presented an unusually competitive landscape, with eight teams clustered between 10 and 13 points in the table.

Fabio Capello has backed Roma to challenge for the Serie A title this season, placing them among the primary candidates for the championship alongside Inter. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Roma manager offered a wide-ranging assessment of the title race and praised the maturity Gian Piero Gasperini has brought to the squad. Capello expressed surprise at nothing about Roma's position at the top of the table. "Roma in first place does not surprise me," he said. "Together with Inter, it is the team most ready from the beginning of the championship and it is proving it. In the direct clash it played very well." He highlighted the club's transfer business and the commitment shown by players and manager alike. "Gasperini has succeeded in convincing them since the transfer market: the players and the coach have wanted each other a lot and it is the demonstration that this team believes in it. Some have even cut their salary," he said. "I see will and awareness." Capello reserved criticism for Inter's defensive frailty. "Inter has players who make the difference, but there is a question mark," he noted. "Why so many goals conceded? There is something that doesn't work. You can't always pull off what you've managed in these last few matches, starting with Real Madrid against whom they lost. They had also done it with Napoli to come back, but you can't always manage to remedy errors. Inter was already favoured, but it must improve a lot in this respect. It can't think of allowing itself such first halves and such moments of inattention." On the lessons Roma must draw from Inter's late comebacks, Capello stressed the importance of sustained pressing. "When attention drops, opponents of a certain level—like Inter—take advantage. And it was seen," he said. Capello also weighed in on Lazio's surprise emergence as title contenders, crediting manager Gennaro Gattuso's system change from his predecessor Maurizio Sarri. He praised Juventus's recent improvement against Atalanta and reflected on performances across the division, noting Cagliari's unexpected rise to within one point of the summit and expressing satisfaction that traditional clubs like Cagliari and Lazio have returned to contention.

Vincent Candela, the former Roma defender and Serie A champion, has backed Gian Piero Gasperini's side as genuine title contenders. Speaking on Rai Radio 1's Anch'io sport, Candela analysed Roma's challenge to Inter and praised the performances of the Giallorossi's squad ahead of a direct clash between the two sides. Candela believes Roma have the depth and cohesion to mount a sustained title push. "Roma and Inter have given us great football, great beauty," he said. "They are the two teams playing for the title. Inter have a broad squad, but with Gasperini Roma can match them all the way. This Roma is a title-winning side—they can give Inter, who are the strongest, a real problem. Dybala reminds me of the top players of my time, and Koné has personality and charisma. I think Roma are the only squad that can genuinely fight with Inter. They have a very strong and cohesive group." Candela also offered thoughts on Italy's national team rebuild, saying that the country remains a football institution and must rediscover its roots after a period of decline. He backed manager Luciano Mancini's experience to guide a youth-focused reconstruction, noting: "Italy has football in its blood, Mancini has the experience. Now it will take time because we are rebuilding from the young players."

Roma have begun the 2026-27 season strongly, scoring freely and proving they can match Serie A's leading sides—but head coach Gian Piero Gasperini sees room to unlock quality in a specific area without returning to the transfer market. The key zone is the left-sided attacking midfield, where two very different players can become important: Rodrigo Mora and Lorenzo Pellegrini. Mora arrived in summer carrying the label of an elite young talent and made an immediate impression at Roma, including scoring against Lecce. The 19-year-old, born in 2007, started brightly but recent weeks have revealed the uneven path young prospects travel. His recent appearances have been less incisive; at Turin he came on in the second half without making a particular mark, and against Inter he remained on the bench for the entire match despite Roma's need for fresh attacking quality, especially in the second half. Gasperini has continued to speak of Mora as a player with great talent but has been clear about the work still required. "He needs to complete himself physically above all, and also tactically," Gasperini said. The club invested heavily in the Portuguese midfielder and nobody at Trigoria sees the present moment as an endpoint. Mora must learn to be decisive when space narrows, tempo increases and time to think diminishes. Pellegrini's summer has been almost the opposite. Rather than fighting immediately for a starting place, he underwent lengthy work to rebuild his body and sort his contract future. After an injury that kept him sidelined in the final stages of last season, Pellegrini renewed his Roma deal through 2027 and has only recently returned to regular availability. Gasperini is not rushing his reintegration: the midfielder has not played an official match in months. The international break presents an opportunity Gasperini is considering carefully—he is evaluating the organisation of friendly matches to allow players remaining at Trigoria to accumulate minutes and match rhythm. For Pellegrini this pause can become a platform for restart. After weeks split between recovery and contract renewal, the goal is to become a genuine solution rather than merely a name on the team sheet. While not the pure attacking winger Gasperini sought in summer, he can offer a different answer to that same need, particularly in matches where Roma require additional passing quality and creativity near Dybala and Malen. Pellegrini, who hoped for a longer contract extension, has only a few months to prove himself worthy of both the manager's and the club's faith. After the break, nine matches arrive in twenty-eight days, and Roma cannot always depend on Dybala, Malen or Soulé to produce the decisive moment.

Roma go into the international break as league leaders following a draw with Inter, but with several players nursing injuries that Gasperini will have time to manage. Wesley remained in Rome with a right thigh muscle strain and should need about a week to recover fully before the trip to Como. Bryan Cristante stayed behind as well, sidelined by lower back pain that prevented him from joining Italy's national team camp. Donyell Malen was forced to withdraw from the Netherlands squad due to muscle fatigue, while Manu Koné's condition is being assessed after an demanding performance against Inter. Gasperini has an interesting group available for work at Trigoria during the break. Goalkeepers, Mario Hermoso, Devyne Rensch, Nahuel Molina, Marten de Roon, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala will all remain in the capital, excluded from their respective national team duties for various reasons. Pellegrini warrants particular attention: the number 7 has only recently returned from a long layoff and still needs to build match minutes, rhythm and match fitness. Gasperini is reportedly considering organising friendlies during the break to maintain match sharpness for players staying at Trigoria and accelerate recovery for those needing competitive action. The three-week break is crucial preparation for what follows. When the season resumes, Roma face nine matches across twenty-eight days, spanning Serie A fixtures from Como to Sassuolo and Champions League ties against Real Madrid, Slovan Bratislava and Manchester United. The depth of the squad will need to deliver more than theory—rotations, quick recoveries and an expanding pool of players capable of matching the standards of the regulars will be essential. Roma arrive at the break top of the league with renewed confidence, and Gasperini has the time to rebuild before the relentless stretch begins.

Vincent Candela, the former Roma defender and Serie A champion, has backed Gian Piero Gasperini's side as genuine title contenders. Speaking on Rai Radio 1's Anch'io sport, Candela analysed Roma's challenge to Inter and praised the performances of the Giallorossi's squad ahead of a direct clash between the two sides. Candela believes Roma have the depth and cohesion to mount a sustained title push. "Roma and Inter have given us great football, great beauty," he said. "They are the two teams playing for the title. Inter have a broad squad, but with Gasperini Roma can match them all the way. This Roma is a title-winning side—they can give Inter, who are the strongest, a real problem. Dybala reminds me of the top players of my time, and Koné has personality and charisma. I think Roma are the only squad that can genuinely fight with Inter. They have a very strong and cohesive group." Candela also offered thoughts on Italy's national team rebuild, saying that the country remains a football institution and must rediscover its roots after a period of decline. He backed manager Luciano Mancini's experience to guide a youth-focused reconstruction, noting: "Italy has football in its blood, Mancini has the experience. Now it will take time because we are rebuilding from the young players."

Roma have started the 2026–27 season impressively — 14 goals scored, only 3 conceded in Serie A, and 13 points from a possible 15 — but head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has identified a recurring problem that emerges after the interval. Across Serie A and the Champions League, three of the four goals Roma have conceded so far have come in the second half. The pattern repeated against Atalanta (Ederson), Istanbul (Archie Brown), and most recently on Saturday against Inter, when Lautaro Martinez scored almost immediately after the restart to reopen what had been a dominant 2–0 first-half performance by Roma. Gasperini highlighted the issue in his post-match comments, using the word "presunzione" — a kind of presumption or complacency that emerges after first halves played with such superiority that the team unconsciously drops its intensity. The problem is not limited to individual errors; Mancini was involved in the build-up to all three second-half goals, but the weakness is collective. Roma consistently loses tempo, physicality and the fierce pressing that usually suffocates opponents once the interval arrives. There is also an athletic component: Gasperini's football demands enormous expenditure of energy, and maintaining the same intensity for 90 minutes is nearly impossible. The task is not to demand Roma always perform at maximum, but to manage moments of fatigue without immediately giving opponents the chance to get back into matches. Roma eliminated many problems from last season, but must now address what appears to be the first real vice of the new campaign: not leaving the hunger with which they start matches behind in the dressing room at half-time. The positive news is that this flaw is emerging within a squad performing at very high levels overall. Gasperini has three weeks during the international break to work on the issue.

Bryan Cristante has withdrawn from Italy's UEFA Nations League camp at Coverciano due to lower-back pain sustained in Roma's Serie A match against Inter. National team coach Roberto Mancini has called up Samuele Ricci as his replacement for the opening four fixtures. Wesley is also unavailable for Brazil's upcoming matches after suffering a right-thigh muscle complaint and will stay at Roma's training ground during the international break, where the medical staff will monitor his recovery ahead of the league's restart. Vanderson takes his place in the squad. Santiago Castro, who remained on the bench throughout Roma's 90-minute encounter with Inter, has used the recovery day granted by Gasperini to undertake individual conditioning work at home, including weights and athletic exercises. Castro is now set to depart for Argentina's national team alongside Leonardo Balerdi and Matías Soulé for friendlies against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin. Radio Radio analyst Stefano Agresti offered his assessment of Roma's performance: "If you win 2–0 in the first half, there's definitely a bitter taste left. Gasperini can be satisfied because Roma played very well, dominated against the best team in Serie A. The Giallorossi were already at their fifth substitution exhausted, because they spent a lot in the first half. There was superficiality on the goal."